Photo caption: Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall, left, met with Police Minister Yasmin Catley yesterday in Parliament to request the allocation of extra senior police positions at Moree, among other issues.
Wednesday, 24 May 2023
MEMBER for Northern Tablelands Adam Marshall has taken his tilt for more Police boots on the ground in the region direct to the Minister for Police Yasmin Catley, during a meeting in State Parliament yesterday.
Mr Marshall asked the Minister for additional senior Police positions to be allocated to the New England Police District, to bolster existing numbers and give local cops the resources they needed to combat a recent spike in criminal activity.
“Our local Police are doing the absolute best job they can to combat crime at the moment,” Mr Marshall said.
“But like so many of our frontline services, they are stretched, with vacancies and positions hard to recruit for.
“The communities across the Northern Tablelands want to see more men and women in blue patrolling their local streets.”
Mr Marshall said while the region had seen more than 70 new Probationary Constables appointed to the region in the last three years, which was very welcome, what was needed was additional permanent senior positions to increase the district’s authorised strength.
“I made it clear to the Minister that we need more boots on the ground in the region and while the allocation of officers is controlled by the local Commander, I would like to see them placed in Moree, to enable more proactive policing operations and more trucks out in the community each night,” Mr Marshall said.
“Ideally we need some extra Sergeant and Senior Constable positions allocated, which will give more capacity to supervise extra shifts and more probationary constables.
“The Minister indicated she would be discussing my request with the Commissioner and would also accept my invitation to visit the Northern Tablelands quite soon.”
Mr Marshall also used the meeting to enlist the Minister’s help in pressing the Local Court, particular y the Magistrate presiding over the Inverell and Moree circuit, to get tough on local crime and repeat offenders.
“Our local communities and Police are becoming more and more frustrated with repeat offenders being given the ‘soft touch’ in the Local Court, being put back out on the streets and community expectations and safety being ignored,” Mr Marshall said.
“Policing is a hard enough job at the moment, but I cannot imagine how demoralising it must be for our men and women in blue to make a series of good arrests, only to have the alleged offenders bailed, back on the streets and go straight back to terrorising the local community.
“Just a couple of weeks ago, a male was arrested in Moree by police with a loaded shotgun and cartridges on his person, only to have the court bail and release him back on the street the next day. How can this be?
“This cannot go on and the Local Court Magistrate must apply the law with the safety and wellbeing of the local community as the paramount consideration.
“The community wants to see the courts get tough on crime and back our local cops and victims of crime.
“The Minister and I will be sitting down with the Attorney general in the coming weeks to seek his intervention to have the courts get tough on repeat offenders.”